The Chicago O’Hare Airline Fire

Flying is a very popular mode of transportation. The International Air Transport Association (“IATA”) reports that, on average,more than eight million people fly every day. Flying is also considered theleast dangerous mode of transportation according to Business Insider. Walking and driving are deemed more deadly than flying!

However, do not let these findings fool you; airline mistakes can occur. Recently, atChicago’s O’Hare International Airport, an American Airline Boeing 767’s right General Electric engine failed while the plane attempted to takeoff. This caused the plane’s right side to erupt into flames and resulted in engine debris being shot out about a half a mile.

The plane had 161 passengers and nine crewmembers onboard at the time of this incident. Luckily, everyone escaped this inferno. The passengers on the plane escaped by using the plane’s emergency slides. Following everyone’s escape, the airport’s fire crew arrived at the scene. This was important as time was of the essence. The airplane had nearly 43,000 pounds of fuel!

In the end, of all of those involved in this incident, only 20 people visited a nearby hospital with minor injuries. These minor injuries were incurred on the emergency slide. Fortunately, no injuries resulted from the fire. This is good news as this could have been an absolute disaster.

Investigators later discovered that the American Airline Boeing 767’s jet exhibited signs of “fatigue cracking”. As a result of this cracking, a high-pressure turbine disk in the airplane’s engine shattered causing fragments to be shot out of the engine’s housing.

Difficulties of your Case and the Importance of hiring an Attorney

If you are injured on an airplane, you should be knowledgeable of the laws involved. In short, pursuant to the Federal Aviation Act, airlines are held to ahigh standard of care for the safety of you and other passengers. This Act holds that airlines are to be responsible for their employees’ negligent conduct. This Act further holds that airlines are required to act reasonable under the circumstances in effort to prevent injuries.

If an injury does occur, the injury, alone, is not sufficient to conclude that the airline was in fact negligent. You must be able to establish the elements of negligence. As you can see, these cases can be difficult and time consuming. For this reason, and to increase your chances of receiving compensation, it is imperative that you hire an experienced personal injury attorney. Such an attorney will communicate with third parties, get you the medical treatment you need, and, best of all, will allow you time to focus on your recovery.

Hire an Attorney for your Case

In all, if you are injured on an airline, or at an airport, it is important to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer for your case. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Your compensation can include, but is not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and emotional distress. Thepersonal injury lawyers at Levin & Perconti are here for you. Call one of our personal injury lawyers today at (312) 332-2872 or toll free (877) 374-1417 to schedule a FREE consultation.

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Disclaimer

The purpose of this blog is to deliver news and information that is relevant to our areas of practice. The news and information reported on this blog represent the legal actions of attorneys throughout the United States. Our firm does not claim to represent plaintiffs in all of the lawsuits, settlements, and jury verdicts reported, only those noted as Levin & Perconti cases.